Secure online examinations using Question Tools Exam

Question Tools Exam can be installed on a Windows computer. Candidates can use it to connect to a Question Tools NetSeries web server and take an examination. In short, it is an alternative to a web browser.

Why do we need an alternative to a web browser?

Someone taking an examination can just start their web browser and connect to Question Tools NetSeries. It does not matter whether the browser is Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape Navigator or Opera. Nor does the browser need any plug-ins, such as Flash. The real advantage of a web browser is its convenience.

Yet, if something goes wrong with the network connection the examination will have to stop. A slow network connection leaves the user waiting while the next screen is loaded. An intermittent connection can see the user having to log on again to resume their examination.

Responsive

Question Tools Exam downloads the whole examination and stores it as an encrypted file on the user's computer. This means that once the examination is underway there is no waiting for the next screen. The Exam software is also harder to accidentally close, unlike a web browser. From a candidate's perspective, Question Tools Exam is faster and better-suited to an examination. Exam is also kinder to networks, as an examination is only downloaded once onto a computer, not every time the examination is taken.

Robust

Question Tools Exam does some things candidates cannot see. If the network connection is lost then the Exam software will keep trying in the background. It will not immediately alert the candidate and disrupt the examination. If the connection is lost for a long time then Question Tools Exam can even silently log on again using the username and password the user entered earlier. Exam will update NetSeries the next time it establishes contact. It can even send the result in to NetSeries a long time after the examination has completed.

Secure

Question Tools Exam does some things a web browser cannot do. For example, it can use a web camera to monitor a candidate. Photographs of the candidate can be viewed with the results to verify the candidate's identity.

The Exam software can also optionally blank out the whole computer screen so there are fewer distractions. This can also make it harder for a candidate to use other software to search for answers.

As you would expect, data sent between Question Tools NetSeries and the Exam software is encrypted. Likewise, any files stored on the local machine are encrypted and unreadable.

Flexible

A Question Tools NetSeries examination can be taken in either a web browser or the Exam software - the test is not restricted to just one or the other. Should the need arise, a user could start the examination in a web browser, stop and continue on another computer using Question Tools Exam, and then switch back to a web browser. Results are kept, there is no fuss - it just works.

No connection

Some sites have no internet connection at all. Here the examination can be provided as a Question Bank (a single, encrypted, password-protected file). Candidates can take the examination and save their results. Again, this results file is encrypted to ensure that it cannot be amended. It can also include images of the candidate if appropriate. Later this results file can be uploaded to Question Tools NetSeries by an administrator.

Drawbacks

The main drawback of the Exam software is that it has to be installed on the candidate's computer. The installer is a simple push-button affair, but as with any software installation, administration rights are needed.

Version

This integrated approach works only if you have at least version 3.0.14 of Question Tools Exam and at least version 3.0.13 of Question Tools NetSeries.

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